Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - An LGBTQ group is objecting to increased police patrols to help protect the community, saying there is a history of persecution and a better way to use city funds.
Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon stated his intention to increase "proactive policing" and send more patrols to Allentown is in response to the murders of Jordan Celotto and Mickey Harmon, but the Buffalo Niagara LGBTQ History Project are among those opposed to the idea, issuing a letter voicing its objections. Myq Farrow says there's a history of persecution. "A black gay man was arrested in Front Park in 1978 under the sodomy law. In the 1980s there were still raids. And so it's like this, not that long ago, within our lifetime, that the police were actively harassing LGBTQ people, not even mentioning the the issues that people of color have with dealing with the police and also the solution isn't working," contends Farrow.
Farrow believes there's a need to change the approach. "We would like the resources spent on things like mental health, on poverty, housing, on fresh food, on public transportation, on park safety and free recreational areas, a third space to be without it costing money, so that we're not all trespassing at all times," says Farrow, who also suggests the council pass a resolution to make Buffalo a sanctuary city for the LGBTQ community. "There's ways that we can literally support the LGBTQ community that would be more in line with Mickey and Jordan, they were activists and artists that were speaking on this, and I would hate for the legacy of their lives to be more policing when really they were looking at solutions and orienting ourselves towards care instead of punishment."
Buffalo Common Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski, himself a member of the LGBTQ community, says he had a chance to look at the letter. "I want to examine it further in the sense of what exactly is making them feel uncomfortable with the increased presence in Allentown when it comes to BPD doing more walking patrols," says Nowakowski. "I want to give this a fair examination of what they're thinking. But ultimately I have to balance it with residents and the businesses on that street, and there are times where we do need the Buffalo Police when it comes to criminality that happens in Allentown."
Nowakowski adds some LGBTQ residents are in favor of the walking patrols. "I haven't seen any negative impacts from it. There are times where I have seen somebody brandish a weapon. I've seen 911 calls come in, and residents are very happy when they see a quicker response from police, because they're not just in their cars patrolling, but they're actually engaging with the community," explains Nowakowski.
Nowakowski calls the letter's claim it would tarnish the legacy of Celotto and Harmon unfair. "Allentown has faced a lot of challenges, from fires to murders to vagrancy to open drug use. There's a lot of stuff that was going on, and the way that you deal with that issue is not just police presence. It's a lot of factors that come into play with the issues that happen in that neighborhood," says Nowakowski. "I don't know how foot patrols on Allen Street that are in wide favor of the residents, how that's counteracting the legacy of Mickey and Jordan. I just, I think that's a very broad statement to make. And, you know, I'm a member of the LGBTQ community, so this is part of me, you know, engaging with my own community and figuring this out with them. So I think that that statement is pretty broad."
Nowakowski hopes to have a meeting with representatives as early as September, when Common Council returns from recess.
